Yahiko and Konan
by Jeannette.XX
Summary: During the time of war, two young ninjas find love in each other.
1. Yahiko and Konan Ch1

Yahiko tried to look through the rain but it was too dense. He would have to find shelter to start a fire, so he could dry off his clothes. He counted to ten in his head then darted across the opening until he came to an old house. He didn't even bother knocking and invited himself in. It was dark, wet, and it had no furnishings. It only had one room but he didn't intend on staying long. He bent down and attempted to pull some of the floorboards out. He piled the wood up then used his flint to start the fire. When he got it going he slipped his shirt off his 13-year-old back. He left it near the fire to dry off.

Konan tried to struggle with the fact that her parents were killed the night before. Her eyes stung from salty tears and the never-ending rain. This war, this war will never end. She pulled back her short, matted blue hair into a messy bun on the top of her head. She began walking aimlessly in the rain. What a sight I must be. A couple minutes later Konan walked through an alley but In the middle of her path was a huge dog matted in dirt and blood, it was growling. It squatted back it was about to lunge. Konan turned straight around and ran as fast as she could. The rain and wind whipped across her face. She came to the forest line of the town and stopped for a second, then continued at a different angle. Just when Konan thought she was surely going to get away, she smacked her face right into a branch and fell back again. "Oh," Konan groaned. The dog was only feet away and gaining. She was too late."AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Konan screamed as the dog clamped down on her left leg. She tried to grip her leg away but it just ripped her skin more.

It was still raining when Yahiko trekked through the forest. He heard a long terrifying scream. He bolted in the direction the sound was coming from. A minute later he saw a blue haired girl with a dog yanking on her leg. He lunged himself at the dog. Yahiko threw a punch at the dogs nose and it fell back whimpering. Yahiko cradled up the blue hair girl. "Are you all right?"  
"Yeah, it's just my leg, I think it's sprained," Konan responded. Yahiko squatted over. "Climb up," he said. Konan wobbled then hopped up onto his back. She rested her cheek on the back of his wet shirt. When they reached the small leaky house Yahiko lowered Konan on the floor. He examined her wound, it was bleeding profusely, he would have to stop it or she could die. He ripped open his shirt and tore a long piece off of it and wrapped it tight above her knee to stop more blood from getting to her wound.

Konan watched as Yahiko quickly dressed her wound. He had a concentrated look on his face. He finished by wrapping another piece of cloth and wrapping it around her cleaned wound then removed the one above her knee. "All better," he said. "Do you think you can walk?" Konan shuffled up and walked a little. "Yes," she replied. Now was the first time Konan got to study her rescuer, he had auburn hair, tan skin, he was tall as well muscled for a boy his age which she guess he was 13. "I never got your name," Yahiko broke the silence.

"It's Konan," she answered. She bit her bottom lip and looked off to the side.  
"I'm Yahiko," he stretched out his arm and she shook it. Yahiko strangely noticed how small and smooth her hand was. She let go of his hand. "You can stay here tonight if you'd like," Yahiko offered, hoping she'd say yes. Konan ran her and softly over her hair. "Um, sure if that's not a problem." Yahiko smiled then realized he must look like a total dumb ass then quickly stopped. "There's not much room, you can lay wherever you want, I'll settle down soon I need to fix the fire so we don't freeze our asses off." Konan nodded then walked over to a corner. Yahiko walked over to the fire and squatted next to it. The heat warmed his bare chest. Yahiko picked up a piece of wood and threw it into the pile.

Konan glanced over to where the fire was making Yahiko's skin glow. She could barely feel the fire's warmth but at least it was something. She turned to face the wall and lay down. Suddenly she felt a rush of air next to her. She turned around and Yahiko was laying down next her. "Sorry I'll move," Yahiko muttered. "No it's ok," Konan replied. She liked how his body heat warmed her and thought it would be best if they slept near each other. "What's your story?" Konan asked.

Yahiko frowned a little. "My parents were killed a year ago because of the war, I've been on my own ever since," he replied. He missed his parents a lot; he wanted nothing more than to never be alone. " My parents were killed yesterday," Konan added. He turned towards her and noticed that there were tears running down her pale skin. He didn't know what else to do so he hugged. "Oh," she cried. He her up and looked her in the face, "it's going to be ok, shh." Konan leaded her head onto his shoulder the tears dripped down his shoulder.

Konan woke to find she was still resting on Yahiko's shoulder. His head was tilted back against the wall and his legs were spread apart. His lips were slightly parted and there was a sliver of drool running down to his chin. She slowly got up so she wouldn't wake him and walked over to the dimming fire. She kneeled down next to it and tried to warm up. She looked at Yahiko and noticed he had a cut on his leg; the least she could do was clean it. She took a small burning stick of wood then walked over to him and knelt down. She put the burning stick up to the wound. "Ow!" Yahiko jolted awake.  
"I'm helping your leg," Konan replied.

Yahiko watched as Konan worked on his cut, his eyes scanning her. "Done," she said. "Thanks," Yahiko breathed. "Let's get something to eat."


	2. Yahiko and Konan Ch2

"You sure you don't want to come in? It's quite nice," Yahiko said while backstroking in the small river. Konan looked to where Yahiko was popping in and out of the water, his hair was flipped back exposing his forehead. "No I'm fine, I'll stay over here." She replied. She was examining flowers around her, and then started watching some of the bees buzzing from petal to petal. "Hey watch!" She jolted her head to see Yahiko standing on top of a huge river bolder. He proceeded to turn his back to the river, squatted down then back flipped down into the water below. "Wahoo!" he shouted.

Konan laughed as the boy popped out of the water, with water rushing down his nose and out of his mouth, with a huge smile on his face. "Ow!" Konan yelled suddenly. "Huh?" Yahiko turned his head surprised.  
"My foot!" Konan replied. " Look at it!" Yahiko swam over to the bank while Konan hopped over. When she reached Yahiko she broke out laughing. "Gotcha!" She squealed. Yahiko scrunched his face then pulled her into the water. "Ah!" Konan laughed and splashed water into the boy's face.

"Can you touch?" Yahiko asked when they swam further out.  
"No," she replied quickly. "But I'm fine." Yahiko tilted his head to the side.  
"Do-do you mind?" Yahiko asked.  
"Ok?" Konan replied confused. Yahiko swallowed dryly then planted a swift kiss on her upper right cheek. Konan placed a hand to her kissed cheek. "Oh." She whispered. Yahiko grabbed Konan's hand. "Come on, I'm turning into a giant prune." They both swam to the riverbank.

When the climbed out of the water Konan lay on the ground, the dirt hugged her skin. "Hmmp," she sighed. Yahiko looked down at her then did the same. "Hmmp," he sighed. Konan turned her head to him and they both broke out laughing. "That was fun," Konan remarked. Konan turned on to her side then started fixing Yahiko's hair. She ran her finger through his hair then let her hand slip to his cheek.

Yahiko enjoyed the feeling of having a girl this close to him, especially this girl. Yahiko leaned again his goal this time were her soft lips. When his lips touched hers a spark flew, he didn't pay attention to anything else. Their lips rearranged then arranged again. He pulled away after a couple of seconds, he looked at her and she had an ear-to-ear smile.

Konan looked at Yahiko, his cheeks brushed with pink. "I'm beat," he moaned. "G'nite."


	3. Yahiko and Konan Ch3

Yahiko awoke face-first in the soil. "Bleck," he spat. He rolled over and stood up, he was completely covered in dirt. He walked over to the riverbank and quickly slipped all his clothing off and stepped into the river. "Shit! Shit!" he said as the icy water pierced his skin. He scrubbed his hair with it then shook his head. He then submerged himself underwater for about 20 seconds then rose up; and saw Konan looking right at him. "Ahh!" he squealed.

"Um, what are you doing?" Konan questioned. Yahiko had a worried look on his face. "Um, I'm swimming." He mumbled. "Naked." He looked away at the last word. "Oh," Konan gasped. "I'll go to walk a little." Konan walked with her head faced down until she almost ran into a tree. She walked further into the vegetation until she saw something sparkling on the leafy floor. She squatted then picked it up. It was a long heavy needle; she turned it around a couple of times with her fingers. All of a sudden she felt something sharp and cold pressed up against her neck, then an arm. "Oh!" Konan gasped. She looked up to see a pale snake-like man with a Leaf forehead protector. "Should I just kill her now?" The man spoke to a hidden somebody. "If seen to many war-orphans, it's just sad; she'd be better off dead." Konan's eyes widened. "No Orochimaru, she's just a kid, give her to me." Konan was placed into different arms. Konan looked at her holder, he was tall and had white hair and red paint on his face. "What is your name sweetie?" The man asked. "Konan."

Yahiko kept waiting for Konan to show up. He kept looking around hoping to see her blue hair. "Shit," he mumbled. He dashed into the forest. His bare feet made crunching sounds every time he stepped. "Konan!" He yelled. "Konan!" His voice cracked that time. Suddenly he saw her, being held by a leaf ninja. "Yahiko!" she yelled. Yahiko's hands became clammy; he couldn't face this guy. His fists clenched. "Let her go," he demanded. A confused look crossed the man's face. "I had no intention on hurting anyone, I'd actually like to help you." Yahiko raised his eyebrows.  
"What do you mean?" Yahiko questioned. He didn't know to trust the man or not. "I would like to teach you how to fend for yourself." The man replied seriously.

Konan's head traced the conversation between the two males. "You mean you would teach us to master jutsu?" Konan saw Yahiko's eyes widen. Konan saw a smile come across the man's face. "I guess so," he replied. Yahiko smiled back. He looked towards Konan, "Is that ok for you?" he asked. Konan quickly nodded yes. Yahiko's smile grew, which made Konan smile.

"Follow me," the man requested. Yahiko put a hand on her shoulder and followed the man. "What are your names?" the man questioned.  
"Yahiko."  
"Konan."  
"I'm Jiraiya"


	4. Yahiko and Konan Ch4

Jiraiya led the Konan and Yahiko into a small wooden hut. "We'll stay here," he announced. Tapping sounds thudded on the wood roof as rain started to pour down. Jiraiya turned towards Yahiko, "You and me are going fishing," he announced. "Alright," Yahiko agreed. Yahiko turned to face Konan. "We'll be back in a little while, ok?" Konan looked up and nodded.

Yahiko and Jiraiya stepped out of the door and into the downing rain. "Follow me," Jiraiya ordered. Yahiko quickened his pace and obeyed. After minutes of walking they reached a bay with a dock going out into the water. Then Jiraiya slipped off his shirt and jumped in the water. Yahiko did the same then jumped in the water also. "Do you know what chakra is?" Jiraiya asked.  
"I've heard of it."

Konan sat on one of the futons, and practiced origami on cracker wrapper. After a couple of minutes she grabbed an umbrella and went outside to walk a little. Only after a couple of minutes she started to hear barking, she had to know where it was coming from. The rain was stinging her eyes but she kept walking. Her sandals were soaked with water and there was mud plastered to the sides. Finally she found the source of the barking, a collapsed boy with a small dog barking at his side. "Oh!" Konan gasped. She petted the dog on the head and it stopped barking. Then she turned the boy over on his back. His face had mud all over it and his bangs covered half of his face. She brushed her hand over his eyes so he could open them. His eyes slowly opened. "Ohhh," a small groan parted from his parched lips. "Do, you have. Food?" he whispered softy.  
"Hold on!" Konan held up a finger. Then she started to search her small thoroughly until she came across a package of hard tack form the house. She quickly broke off a piece and placed it in his mouth. He chewed slowly then sat up to eat more. Konan handed the rest to him then tilted her head back a little. The boy ate more then fed the rest to his dog. He looked at Konan, "Thank you."

"Chakra is the energy inside every ninja. We use it to prefect and perform techniques," Jiraiya informed Yahiko. Yahiko just kept nodding through his lecture, this told Jiraiya that he wasn't exactly listening. "Well I guess it's time for more show and less talk," Jiraiya guessed. Yahiko smiled as blue energy formed in a straight line across the man's palm. "Oh!" he gasped in awe. "Stay here," Jiraiya ordered. The he submerged himself underwater. Seconds later he emerged with a gigantic fish flopping in his arms. The blue line formed again across his palm, he ran it quickly across the fish's head. It slid then dropped into the water, slowly disappearing in the murky water. Yahiko looked at the stub; it was a clean cut. "Wow."

The boy picked up his dog and tucked it under his arm. "Do you have a place to stay?" Konan questioned. Konan noticed as the boy's head slung down to the point where his overgrown bangs shadowed his face even more. "No." To Konan that word told her everything. She nodded away her sympathy. "Ok, um, do you want to come with me? I have food and a house." The red-haired boy lifted his head up then moved the small dog up to his chest. "Alright, I guess." The boy almost whispered. Konan outstretched a soaked hand and the boy cautiously took it.

"I want to learn under you," Yahiko declared. "I want you to be my sensei." Yahiko crossed his arms then looked Jiraiya straight in the eyes. He watched as Jiraiya tapped his fingers on the side of his leg; deciding. "Alright, but this is serious stuff. It's a matter of life or death." Yahiko nodded; understanding the risks. Jiraiya propped the large fish on his shoulder, "Well, first let's eat."

Konan stepped up to the door and reached for the handle with slippery hands. She turned it and it clicked open. She and the boy both ran in tracking puddles and footprints. The boy sat down and started to pet his dog. Konan thought about her parents and how much she missed him, and how this boy's parents must be dead too. That the dog was the only thing he had left to love. Then she started to think about to Yahiko.

Jiraiya readjusted the fish on his shoulder as he climbed the three steps to the porch. He used his free hand to open the door. When the door opened there was the blue-haired girl Konan and a red-haired boy he'd never seen before. "Hello, who are you?" Jiraiya questioned the kid whose eyes were covered by his hair. "Nagato," he replied softly.  
"Ah, I see," Jiraiya sounded. " I'm Jiraiya."

Yahiko's eyes moved up and down; examining this Nagato in front of him, with a disapproving face. "I found him collapsed in the street, I'd thought it best to bring him here," Konan explained. Yahiko sighed then looked to the side, sticking out his bottom lip a little. "Yeah, I'm Yahiko."


	5. Yahiko and Konan Ch5

"Konan will you help me make dinner?" Jiraiya asked. Konan nodded and followed him to the kitchen. While he cooked the fish Konan chopped vegetables for a salad. She was cutting the carrots when she felt fingers brush against her shoulders. She turned her head to the left and saw Yahiko standing next to her, smiling. He leaned to whisper in her ear, "meet me after dinner," his sweet breath tickled her ear. Then he turned away and walked in a way only a teenage boy could. She smiled and started chopping again.

Yahiko stepped outside onto the porch. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a box of matches. He propped one in his mouth, then stroke a match and lit the cigarette. He puffed a couple of times then laid back to look at the stars. The smoke circulated through his lungs and the made him cough. Suddenly he heard the door open so he quickly flicked the smoldering cigarette into the bushes. He turned and saw Nagato. "What's up?" Yahiko questioned casually. Nagato sat next to Yahiko. "That Konan girl is nice," Nagato pointed out. Yahiko smiled halfway. "Yeah, she is isn't she."

Konan set the table with plates and chopsticks and glasses of water. She then walked to the door opened it and saw Yahiko and Nagato conversing. "Um, it's time for dinner," she announced feeling like she had intruded. They both turned towards her at the same time, it was kind of funny. "Alright," Yahiko groaned. They both got up and went inside, Konan followed in after them. They sat on the mats then started helping themselves to whatever was on the table. She reached for a chunk of fish with her chopsticks and dropped it on her plate. She gracefully took small bites from it while the others couldn't get big enough bites. Konan set her chopsticks on her plate the rose to put her dishes in the kitchen. She turned on the faucet to rinse her pale hands in the cool water. She walked back to the table to take the others dishes.

After dinner was finished Nagato stayed to talk to Jiraiya. Yahiko quietly slipped back out onto the porch. He took another cigarette and lit it in the same fashion he had before. Yahiko took long drags then puffed it all out. The crickets chirped and the frogs croaked; it was peaceful. It was a full moon out and it lit up the night sky. "Hmm," he sighed. He turned to see Konan with a shocked look on her face. He thought about quickly flicking the cigarette butt-to late. "What are you doing?" Her expression suddenly turned angry. He puffed smoke out then removed the cigarette, placing it between two fingers. His eyes slowly meeting hers, he bit his lip afraid of what she might say. Konan sat next to him crossing her arms across her legs. "Why do you smoke?" She asked quietly. Yahiko sighed deeply. "I have ever since my parents died," he said almost casually. His eyes suddenly felt hot and stingy; he cupped his hand over the side of his face, not wanting her to see.

Konan didn't know what to do, so she hugged him. He stayed still for a while but he eventually hugged her back. He pulled away from her a little bit; he cupped her face in his hands then pressed his forehead to hers. "Thank you," he said. Konan smiled then bit the inside of her cheek. He let his hands go and Konan tucked her side bangs behind he ear. "So what did you want to talk to me about?" Konan asked. Yahiko lay out his legs in front of himself. "I think it would be best if you trained under Jiraiya, so you'd be able to protect yourself if something bad would happen," Yahiko explained with a sincere voice. Konan looked to the side.  
"I don't know," Konan replied. Yahiko squeezed her shoulder then stood up.  
"Well just think about it, ok?" Then he walked back inside. Konan followed soon after.

Yahiko said good night to everyone in the house then slipped into his assigned floor mat. Once he settled he stared at the ceiling. His body ached and he wasn't really tired. He rolled onto his side then cracked his knuckles. He decided to try counting until he fell asleep.

Konan stepped into the bathroom then started to remove her clothes. She leaned to turn on the shower. When it came to the right temperature, she stepped in. She reached for the shampoo, poured some, and then massaged it into her blue hair. She flipped her hair back then rinsed it under the hot water. Next she reached for the soap, she lathered her body then rinsed off. She turned off the water and wrapped a towel around her body. She dried off, slipped on her clothes then walked out. She said good night to Jiraiya then slipped into the bed next to Yahiko.


	6. Yahiko and Konan Ch6

Yahiko awoke with pains in his back and drool on his chin. His eyes were half lidded and he just sat there staring around the room. Nagato spread awkwardly across his sheets, Jiraiya hidden under his sheets, and there was Konan. Gorgeous. He smiled lazily then propped his knees up to his chest. He saw movement under Konan's covers; a sleepy Konan arose from her sleep. "Mmhm," she moaned. She laid her eyes on him then broke out giggling. "What?" Yahiko questioned. Konan tried to mask to giggling by covering her mouth. "Your hair is all messed up, it's crazy," Konan blurted. An embarrassed smile came across his face. She stepped up and ran over to his mat. She sat on his lap and started playing with his hair, after a few seconds she kissed his forehead. She smiled then pushed him back then placed herself on top of him she kissed him quickly then placed herself next to him.

"That was nice," Yahiko smiled. He leaned over to start kissing her ear. It tickled and sent icy sensations throughout her body. "Oh," she gasped. He stopped and lay back again Konan did the same. "I'm still tired," Konan sighed. He nodded in agreement and he hugged her. She rested her head up against his chest.

Yahiko awoke once again with Konan pressed up against his chest. He was sweating from their combined body heat. He managed to untwine his arms that were wrapped around her body without waking her. He slipped out of the covers then rose to go to the bathroom. His bare feet made hollow sounds as he walked across it. He came to the bathroom door and he pushed it open. It made a terrible squeaky sounds; the hair on the back of his head perked up.

Nagato awoke to a sharp squeaking sound. Once he identified the sound he relaxed and lay down again. Today would be his first day of training, and he was excited. He thought of all the jutsus he would master and create. He would become so talented that every ninja would know him by name. Sometimes he would almost choose dreams over reality.

"Place a leaf on your forehead," Jirayia instructed. Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan did as instructed. They each placed a leaf on their foreheads. "Now what?" Yahiko questioned. Jirayia smiled then put his hands on his hips. "I want you all to concentrate on this leaf with a your energy. Konan closed her eyes and focused on the small particle on her forehead. The grass no longer prickled the skin on her crossed legs. She felt nothing but the leaf on her head.

Nagato brushed away his bangs then stuck the prickly leaf on his forehead. He rustled around a little bit then began to question himself on how he could stay concentrated this whole time. He closed his eyes and attempted to focus. His arms slowly rested into his lap.

Sweat trickled down the side of Yahiko's face, which made it even harder to focus. He arched his head back and tried to remember how the leaf looked. Recalling faint details. He breathed in the sweet smell of rain and the bitter smell of war. Success at last.

Jiraiya glanced at the three motionless teens. He didn't quite think they would catch on to this level of concentration so fast. Konan so far as being the best, therefore predicting her to have the best chakra control in the future. Rain started to trickle down his white spiked hair. He laughed quietly to himself-this really is the land of the rain.

The rain didn't come as much of a surprise to Konan because she had lived with it her whole life, it was almost expected. Rain is just a part of life, and some people experience it more than others. So if we can live through continuous rain, could we live through continuous war? Her clothes started to dampen and her hair stuck to the frame of her face.

Yahiko's sanity was being pushed to the edge of extinction. He must have been sitting there for three fucking hours. He could barely take it and the rain wasn't helping much either. He peeped open one of his eyes to look at Konan; she was perfectly still. He slit open his other eye. Nagato looked asleep, but then again, who even knew? "I see you Yahiko," Jiraiya whispered. Yahiko quickly sealed his eyes closed.

"Alright, your done for today," Jiraiya announced some time later. All three opened their eyes then removed the small leaves from their foreheads then rose to their shaky feet. They started walking on the gravel path leading back to the house. It was still raining and when they stepped it made sloshing sounds. Yahiko was quietly trekking in the mud when he heard Konan's scream. They turned around to see Konan faced towards the woods, crying. Yahiko and Nagato ran to her side. "What's wrong?" Yahiko questioned. Suddenly he felt a poke on his side.

"Over there," Nagato whispered. Yahiko glanced over to where Nagato was motioning. Right there, covered in leaves and blood was a dead shinobi. Yahiko grabbed Konan then covered her eyes. "C'mon, let's go. You too Nagato," Yahiko ordered then rushed Konan away.

Konan trudged along, kept under Yahiko's arm. Her tears along with the rain his shirt further more. He stopped for a second to let her onto his back. She gently placed her arms around his neck and rested her head against his neck.


	7. Yahiko and Konan Ch7

Yahiko walked out of the shower and wrapped a white towel around his waist then tucked it. He could hear the crickets chirping and the frogs croaking even though he was inside. He looked into the mirror and ruffled up his hair then walked out. His bare feet thumped on the wooden floor until he entered the bedroom.

Konan was on her mat folding origami, she only looked up when he walked in, but quickly returned to folding the paper. Yahiko searched through his drawer of the dresser to get what he needed then headed back to the bathroom. He removed the towel to expose his bare body. He looked in the mirror to examine the new muscles he was forming.

His chest was lightly elevated; filling with muscle it was no longer flat. He flexed his right arm, the muscle rising. He relaxed his arm then slipped a pair of boxers on, he bent down to guide his legs through his pants. He grabbed his black shirt then forced his head then his arms through.

Nagato walked into the room nodded when he walked past Konan then slipped into his futon. Yahiko also appeared in the doorway, he reached his hand to switch off the lights. He felt around in the dark to find his futon. Once he painfully stubbed his toe on the wood base he lifted up the covers and snuggled in. An hour later he was still awake and it was storming outside. He tried counting to a thousand but that didn't work. He heard of the trick of trying to stay awake to make you fall asleep. It worked ten minutes later.

Konan jolted awake the next morning from the sound of bombs. She looked around; no one else was in their beds. She bolted into the kitchen; Jiraiya, Nagato and Yahiko were filling up jugs of water. "What are you guys doing?" she questioned. "We're going to wait this out in the basement," Jiraiya answered while he screwed the lid onto the full bottle he was holding. "Fill up as many bottles as you can, we might be down there for awhile." Konan nodded in agreement and grabbed an empty peach can and filled it under the tap water. After the jugs and glasses were full, they lined the containers up in a wood crate, originally made to haul apples.

Jiraiya lifted the heavy crate while Nagato opened the hatch to the basement, which was under the stairs. Jiraiya struggled to peer over the bottles as he lowered himself down step-by-step; Nagato and Yahiko followed close after. Konan stayed behind in the kitchen, she shivered as she heard a muffled explosion in the distance. She quickly grabbed her items and raced down the stairs.

The basement was wet, and dark, and it smelled of mold and dust. Konan could barely make out who was who under the flickering light bulb that dangled from the dripping ceiling. "Come over next to us," Konan could distinguish Jiraiya's husky voice from the others. Konan obeyed and shuffled over next to the boys and sat down on the cement floor. "This sucks," complained Yahiko. The rest seemed to nod in agreement.

The light continued to flicker; Yahiko was barely able to make sense of the basement. He could only focus on one thing at the time before the light would switch off, and on again. The dripping ceiling, the cobweb in the corner, the puddle on the ground, the bottles in the crate.

Jiriya looked quite calm, he was probably quite used to these battles. Yahiko could never tell what Nagato was thinking, partially because he had his red hair always covering his pasty face. But Yahiko could read Konan like a book, she was obviously terrified, and was trying not to show it.

Another bomb echoed in the distance. And Yahiko flinched just a little.  
"Oh!" winced Konan. Jiriya patted her knee, but she turned her head off to the side. Another explosion, but this one was louder, and that alarmed Yahiko. He could feel the vibrations, and small pits of paint from the ceiling floated down to the moist floor. Yahiko glanced at Konan she looked terrified. 'Are you okay?' Yahiko mouthed the question. She shrugged, but then nodded.


	8. Yahiko and Konan Ch8

"Why don't we try and get some sleep, maybe wait this thing out," Jiriya suggested. The kids silently agreed and started to adjust to the muggy basement. Nagato stared at the ceiling trying to make himself fall asleep. He tucked his arm under his face to support his head and started to drift into a deep sleep, finally.  
Yahiko was awakened by Jiriya moving the jars back upstairs. He gradually brought himself to his feet and then woke everyone else up. They brought the rest of the boxes back to the house and put the contents back in the shelves. Konan walked up to Nagato, "Wanna take Chibi for a walk?" He nodded in agreement. She waited outside with Chibi's leash in one hand until Nagato walked down the steps of the front porch. They made their way into the forest on the side of the house and stepped over the thick brush. "Where did you find Chibi?" Konan questioned. Nagato scratched the side of his head to remember exactly how; he had been with Chibi for so long it was hard to recall.  
"Actually, when I first started traveling on my own, he followed me for days. At first I was too selfish to take him under my care, only thinking how he would slow me down. But one day I couldn't bring myself to ignore him anymore, so I made him my pet. He's probably one of the best things that have ever happened to me." Nagato smilled to himself after finishing his story.  
Konan smiled back, "I honestly think we're gonna be really good friends, I like the way you think." Chibi suddenly stopped to sniff the base of the tree, then Nagato noticed something. He walked through the thick green brush then glanced through, his hand shielding his eyes from the bright sunlight. There was an untouched field, something entirely rare to this time of war. Something as simple as this made his heart fuzzy with hope. "Konan!" he yelled back to her, "Come here! Come look at this!" A few seconds later he saw her blue head poke out then scope the area. "This is perfect! This is beautiful!" She unhooked Chibi from his leash then let him play freely around the open field. She dropped to her knees to pick some of the wild flowers. She picked the most colorful ones and used her hair tie to tie it together as a bouquet. She then picked a pink flower with red spots and placed it in her hair.  
She ran across the field to Nagato, Chibi followed behind barking playfully. "Let's go back and eat, then bring Yahiko here!" Nagato noticed how her face lit up when she mentioned the boys name.  
"Alright, let's go." He grabbed the leash and hooked Chibi back on his leash. The two teens followed the same path through the forest back to the little house. Nagato could see Yahiko leaning on the pillars of the porch, sucking on a cigarette. He never noticed how tall he was, Yahiko was almost the height of an 18 year old, yet he was only 13. Once Yahiko spotted the two, he turned around and went back inside the house.  
As they entered the house, Jiriya was sitting at the table, buttering a slice of toast. Yahiko was lounging on the couch, his arms folded behind his head. You could smell the trail of smoke he had left behind. Konan went and sat next to Yahiko's feet on the couch, he picked his feet up and then stuck them in front of her face. "Ew!" Konan shrieked. Yahiko had a lazy grin on his face, then laid his feet in her lap. unexpectedly, Konan grabbed his feet and dropped them off the side of the couch, causing him to jolt up. Konan then got up and leaned so her face was level to his. "Your feet stink." She started to say something else but then Yahiko noticed that he could see down Konan's baggy shirt. He completely zoned out her speech as he continued to stare down her shirt.  
He felt his mouth part a little then his cheeks started to flush. But then he felt a huge throbbing sensation in his pants. He quickly bolted up and rushed to the bathroom, using one hand to cover his crotch. He slipped into the bathroom then locked then door. He leaned over the sink then noticed that the bulge in his pants was also touching the sink cabinet. He tried to push it down put every time it would just nudge up again. Yahiko roughly brushed both his hands through his hair.  
Dammit, he thought, how am I supposed to train with her when every time I see her it makes me feel this way. I can't get a boner every time I talk to my comrade. Yahiko then made a deal with himself. In order to make himself a better Shinobi, he would have to stop thinking about her that way, and focus on his training.  
He waited for his manhood to recede then walked over to the bedroom. He removed his shirt then got to his hands and knees on the floor. He placed himself to the push up position and decided he would work this sensation out of his system. The more push ups he did, the more defined his muscles in his shoulders and arms became. Sweat began to bead off of him and then drop to the wooden floor. After 200 push ups, he collapsed to his futon breathing excessively, his chest rapidly moving up and down.  
After he caught his breath, he placed his arms behind his head then started to do situps, after each one, the burning in his abdomen increased. He gritted his teeth as a way to cope with the nagging pain then proceeded with his workout. 10 minutes later, he collapsed his head back on his pillow, he sheets were soaked in sweat. He didn't care though, he drifted into a heavy exercise-induced sleep.  
Nagato walked into his bedroom to grab a book then noticed that Yahiko was sprawled on his bed damp with sweat. It brought a sharp reminder that Yahiko was much bigger than him; he was practically a twig.

Yahiko walked to get a glass of water to the sink, it was the middle of the night and could barely see anything. He opened the cabinet slowly to try and stop it from squeaking and waking the others. He slowly felt around in the cabinet to get a glass. He turned around to the sink to fill the glass up, when suddenly he felt arms carress his shoulders. From shock, he dropped the over-filled glass in the sink. The mysterious person began to plant butterfly kisses on his neck, Yahiko felt chills go down his spine.  
He turned slowly with his lips faintly parted, his pale blue eyes fell down apon Konan's brown ones. He slowly arched his back down and softly pressed his lips to hers. He slowly wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, she returned the favor and wrapped her arms around his neck. He couldn't believe what was happening as he continued to bombard his lips onto hers. His back began to ache from bending down to meet her lips, so he picked her up and placed her on the counter. Now their eye-levels were almost even. He continued to kiss her and caress her face when suddenly she began to mutter something under he breath.  
Yahiko parted his lips from hers to try and make of what she was saying. Her tone was darker, different that her usual soft voice. She was saying his name, over and over again. His eyebrows arched in confusion. Suddenly everything in the room began to become distorted and fuzzy. Konan's voice faded out.  
Yahiko awoke face down on his futon, he saw Nagato at his side calling his name.  
"Geez you're finally awake, you're a really heavy sleeper," He laughed.  
A huge flow of embarrasment flooded over him, he couldn't believe what he had dreamed. After what he had promised himself- that he would stay away from her, physically.

The three students stood on their new practice field that they had discovered earlier. Their teacher stood in front of them, silently examining each one of them. "We need to figure out what element each one of you are." Jiriya's eyes narrowed. "But, I'll only teach you one style for now, then you can use it to harness you're own. You'll be learning water-style." The children's eyes widened with excitement.  
Nagato smiled, he knew that this would be an amazing skill to have where they live. Water surrounded them everywhere, and it rained constantly. Jiriya continued his speech, "But first you will need to become accustomed to your element, and know it like the palm of your hand... But we're going to have to go to some place with more water, follow me." He began to walk off, the students followed


	9. Yahiko and Konan Ch9

They all finally arrived at the bank of a river, Jiriya turned to face the three of them. "Remember when we used the leaves to practice chakra control?" The three nodded in silence.  
"Well," he continued, "we're gonna take that to the next level." The white-haired man turned back around to face the water bank once more. He began to walk into the water, except, he didn't walk into it.. He walked on it. Yahiko's head leaned forward as if being able to see it better. Once their sensei reached the center of the river bank he turned back towards his pupils. "This is the first step in mastering the water element." He paused for a second. "Konan, you first. You showed the best chakra control. All you have to do is concentrate your chakra into the bottom of your feet. You need to imagine yourself balancing on the surface of the water. If you hesitate, you will most likely sink."  
Konan took a small step forward, hesitated, but then continued. When she reached the edge of the water, she formed a hand sign to focus her energy. She imagined it traveling through her into her feet. She then bravely placed one foot over the water. It only sunk in a little bit, and then she quickly placed her other foot next to the other. She felt like she was balancing on a thin line, she could barely keep her balance. Her arms waved around as she attempted to cross the river.  
Konan took a few more steps cautiously. She stopped again to regain her balance. All of a sudden she felt her knees buckle and she suddenly plunged into the chilling water. She was only submerged for a few seconds, but once she regained her train of thought, she arose for air. As she broke the surface she let out a loud gasp for air then moved the wet hair that was plastered to her face.  
She began to paddle slowly towards her teacher, feeling somewhat disappointed in herself. Once she felt the riverbed bellow her feet, she walked upshore. Jiriya gave her a pat on the back for effort as she walked to rest on a washed up log.  
Yahiko watched as Nagato took his turn against the water. Unadmitingly, Yahiko wanted to watch his team member fall into the river water, he wanted to be the first to complete the task. Yahiko was ready to learn the jutsus that lied at task ahead of him. But to his disappointment, Yahiko witnessed Nagato step onto the bank completely dry. At that moment an annoyed look crossed the auburn's face.  
Nagato smiled as his teacher congratulated him for completing such a difficult task on the first try. He went to sit next to his blue-haired team mate, who was smiling with astonishment. They both watched across the mass of sparkling water as Yahiko was about to attempt to cross it. Yahiko tried to cross it too quickly, and as a result fell backwards into the chilling water.  
As Yahiko finally reached the shore soaking wet, Jiriya started to speak. "Nagato, since you were the only person out of your team to complete this task, you can go back to the house and have some lunch." Jiriya then turned back to the others, "As for you two, we're staying here until both of you cross this river at least once." Konan and Yahiko looked at each other with unapproving looks, but soon their eyes returned to staring at the ground.  
Jiriya waved Nagato on then turned back to talk to the other two teens. Nagato began to walk back from where they had came from earlier. He treaded through their newly-found practice field until he reached the spot that opened up to the dense forest. He climbed through the thick shrubbery and then began to journey the familiar bath back through the forest.  
After a few minutes he could see the house faintly through the dense mass of trees, once he reached it, he walked around to the back screen door. He fumbled around in his pockets for the small silver key Jiriya had given him earlier. Once his fingertips felt the tiny metal object, he pulled it out and unlocked the door. As he walked through the paneling, he slipped off his shoes then padded his way into the kitchen.  
He opened the icebox and grabbed a bowl of left-over curry rice from a couple days before. He grabbed a large spoon from the silverware drawer and walked over to the fairly worn out sofa. He spooned mounds of curry into his mouth and after a few minutes he set the bowl aside and shrugged back into the lumpy couch. He could feel exhaustion weighing down his eyelids as he drifted into a deep sleep.  
Nagato jolted awake to the sound of the screen door slamming open. He sat up quickly and rubbed the sleep from his sore eyes. He could see Yahiko walking back towards the bedroom soaking wet. A few seconds later Jiriya walked across the living room followed by Konan, also soaked to the bone.  
Yahiko sat on the edge of his bed as he slipped off the soaked shirt from his freezing body. He tossed it to the side and it slapped onto the hard wood floor. His feet stung from having most of his chakra concentrated at that point for such a long period of time. One by one he slid off his shoes and placed them next to his bed. He was too exhausted to get something to eat, even though he was practically starving. His pants started to leave stains from the water, but that didn't stop him from falling into a deep sleep..


	10. Yahiko and Konan Ch10

The next couple of weeks were filled with the same sorts of drills, day after day they were achieving new goals. They had been running laps on the water, dodging water attacks from their teacher, and learning the fundamentals of crafting their own water jutsu. The extreme workouts had taken an enormous toll on their bodies however... The bottoms of Nagato's feet were blistered, Yahiko had a bruised rib, and Konan was physically exhausted.

She wanted to go on but she couldn't. She had reached that wall where it was impossible to move on, no matter how hard she pushed herself. Her legs cramped and she fell to her hands and knees, she used her remaining chakra to prevent her from sinking through the water. Both her friends walked towards her to help her up, her legs still felt like they were asleep; the pins and needles sensation was overwhelming.

"I'll take you home," Yahiko said flatly. Konan nodded silently as she put her arm around his shoulder for support. Jiriya announced that he would go into town to get more supplies then meet them back at the house in a couple hours.

Konan hobbled along with the partially support of her friend, but her legs weren't going back to normal. She stopped for a second to try and massage her calves to get the circulation going again. She felt Yahiko let go of her but then grab her again to lift her onto his back. He bounced a couple times to adjust to the extra weight then moved once again towards the house.

She was confused, things between them seemed...different. It almost seemed like he lost all of those "special" feelings for her, and they were back to square one. She nestled her chin into the nook of his neck, he didn't adjust it at all. A few minutes later, Yahiko slowly walked up the porch steps and unlocked the familiar wooden door. He awkwardly slipped off his shoes using his toes then continued to carry her to her bed. He lowered her down onto the sheets but her legs caught on his shirt and it raised up to show his abdomen. Her eyes widened as she saw the huge blackish purple bruise under his rib cage from when he had bruised his ribs days prior.

He quickly pulled the white T-shirt back down to cover his injury. "Yahiko that's bad! Let me help you.." she pointed out softly. She grabbed for the same first-aid kit at the side of her bed that she had used for Nagato's feet the night before. Yahiko sat on the bed facing her. "I kinda need to be able to see it," Konan laughed as she gestured to his clothed torso.

"Duh," he said half to himself as he pulled to ragged shirt over his head careful not to provoke his ribcage further. His shaped abdomen was now facing her and she felt herself become uncomfterable-his body had changed a lot. To the side of his faint abs, she could see the devastating bruise once again, she cringed slightly. She ran her fingers through the kit to find the proper kind of bandage to support the injured rib.

Starting the trail of gauze right before the bruise, she reached around his torso to wrap it around, her face was almost touching his chest. She repeated this a few times till she felt it was properly supported, the used the tiny metal pin to latch the gauze together. As she was about to retract her arm back to her side, he grabbed it. He almost violently pulled her in for a long, vigorous kiss, his hands placed on both sides of her face. Then he pulled her face again, which was almost surprising as the kiss itself. He then quickly got up and walked out of the room.

A few hours later Yahiko returned with Chibi at his side. Konan, Nagato and Jiriya were already putting up the clean dishes from the meal the had just had. He unhooked the dog from his leash then walked back to the room.

Yahiko fumbled through his night stand for the pack of cigarettes he was currently craving. Bad. Once he found it he took the lighter off the self then returned to the wooden patio. He sat in the wicker chair with his feet on the guide railing as he lit up his cigarette then took a long drag. He coughed slighty, he hadn't smoked for a week. He just felt the need to, he hurt, physically and mentally.

Today marked one year since his family was murdered, his life destroyed. He remember the date so well, because it was his birthday that day. Most kids would've been excited for a birthday; all the gifts, the food, the rank. But he didn't care, but there was one thing he did wish about birthdays, it was wishes. If he could have one wish, it would to bring his life back to normal, to gift him the lives and presence of his family once more. But he knew that it could never happen, wishes didn't exist, he felt pretty nonexistent too. Tiny and insignificant. He couldn't save his everything, his life.

He wanted something to believe in, the past year alone, that's all he searched for. Someone to look up to, to know they would change the world at its pitiful state today. He knew he couldn't do it, he wasn't strong enough, and he accepted that. But he knew his life would be set out to find who could change their world, because he wouldn't wish this pain on anyone.


	11. Yahiko and Konan Ch11

He exhaled loudly then took another deep breath of the smoke and carefully blew it out into a large O. He continued doing this till he couldn't stand the burning in his throat anymore and put it out. He walked back into the cabin, the other three were sitting on the couch watching tv, he smiled at them then announced he was going to bed.

He shut the door behind them and began to change into a plain black T-shirt and then a new pair of boxers. He folded everything then slipped into his warm sheets, the aroma of cigarette smoke was still surrounding him.

Nagato awoke to the sound of pots clinking in the kitchen, and the aroma of melted butter, bread, and eggs. He arose groggily out of his cot and shuffled his way into the kitchen. Konan was attending to the eggs frying on the stove, where Jiriya was examining the local newspaper and Yahiko was tilted back in the chair with his feet propped up on the table. Yahiko picked scraps from his plate and handed them discreetly to Chibi, who was resting in Yahiko's lap. Nagato sat next to his teammate, he smiled briefly at Yahiko, who smiled back. He immediately noticed the gray circles under his crystal blue eyes; and how his usually energetic friend was dead silent.

After breakfast, the squad trekked to the training field to continue practicing. Jiriya turned around to face his three pupils- each one of their faces were lit with the eagerness to learn.

"You've already learned basic water jutsus, but now we're going to work on perfecting them. Today I'm going to teach you how to focus more chakra into your attack to make it precise, and decrease the potential of you missing your target entirely." Jiriya then clapped his hands together and suddenly a cloud of smoke appeared. Once the mist cleared, three wooden dummies became visible.

"If you condense your chakra into your attack, it will end up cutting deeper into your opponent," he smiled, "the first person to break through their wooden opponent gets to go fishing with me later this afternoon." He grinned widely then walked off to the side to observe who his winner would be.

The three young ninjas immediately charged forward and chose their attack dummies. Jiriya noticed Yahiko pause for a second and channel his chakra into his hands. His blue chakra began to pool out of his hands as he added his water style into the mix. However, Yahiko didn't seem to mix the two together sufficiently enough because when he launched the attack it spun out of control to the ground just next to the wooden opponent. Jiriya leaned back and softly laughed under his breath- _It was a good try, Yahiko. _

Jiriya then switched his gaze to Nagato, who was preparing to use his water jet jutsu. His chest puffed out as his head leaned back, then suddenly a burst of chakra-infused water escaped from his mouth. The beam of liquid traveled directly to the cardiac region of the wooden dummy. Jiriya waited in suspense as the mist cleared; the dummy had a measly crack through its chest. Jiriya exhaled, disappointed.

With his last whim of hope, Jiriya fixed his gaze onto Konan. Despite the competitive situation, her demeanor was cool and collected. The palms of her hands began to glow blue, from her highly-concentrated chakra. Konan then produced a hand sign that summoned water from the reserves underground, the water trickled up from the moist earth and then began to infuse itself with the circulating chakra. Once it all concentrated into an orb shape, she fired the water jutsu. Jiriya's eyes then widened with amazement as the water jet exploded through the abdomen of the dummy.

Konan relaxed herself from her battle-stance in disbelief, a smile crept across her face.

"I did it!" Konan cried with joy.

Yahiko and Nagato who were still working on perfecting their technique stopped to see what all the commotion was about.

_What the heck,_ Yahiko thought, _who would've thought Konan to have such amazing chakra control. _Yahiko wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand as Nagato and him walked over to Konan.


End file.
